Peanut butter banana and granola parfait

In a house of vegetarian pre-teens, teenagers and now young adults, peanut butter is the glue that holds the family together. We’re not just talking your basic PB&J. Peanut butter pie, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter banana smoothies, and peanut butter parfaits are some of the standards, and as I write this, I’m recalling a Healthy Challenge Kids contest that Sarah won when she was in the 8th grade, based on a french toast “sandwich” of peanut butter and bananas. I’ll need to jog her memory of that before she and her friends leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn. Back to the parfait. The bottom line is that anything tasty that’s layered in a wine glass (even better in a parfait glass if we had them) takes on a fun and somewhat irresistible dimension. Assorted combinations of granola, yogurt and fruit can be wildly nutritious and protein packed — and enjoyed for breakfast, snacks or dessert. This week for dessert, the gals heartily enjoyed every bite their dessert peanut butter parfaits, in fact there were a few moments where the only sound coming from the table was that of spoons hitting the sides of the glass. The following combination was designed for dessert, and could be switched up a bit for breakfast–less sugar and more bananas perhaps.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of yogurt and 2 Tbsp of the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

To assemble 4 parfaits, spoon 2 Tbsp. of granola in each glass, followed by 1 Tbsp.of the yogurt mixture, 1 Tbsp. of the peanut butter mixture, and about 1/3 of a sliced banana. Repeat the same four layers, topping the banana slices in the second layer with 3/4 tsp. of cinnamon and sugar.